The rice harvest so far is good and will be even better if farmers can get in a second crop in October
Eddie Eskew, Jefferson Davis Parish county agent, says that's good news for everyone in Louisiana's rice belt.
Eskew says southwest Louisiana farmers hope to rebound this year from a near-disastrous 2002, when the global economy, depressed prices and Hurricane Lili conspired against them.
If they do rebound, Eskew says, it will be good news for everyone from the banker to the grocer, as well as the farmer. Jimmy Richert, a loan officer at Jeff Davis Bank and Trust in Jennings, says last year the farmer got about seven-dollars a barrel for his rice.
This year, it will be close to 12 dollars. Because of south Louisiana's climate, farmers are usually able to harvest two rice crops each year -- one in late summer, another in October.
Last year, Hurricane Lili struck on October third, wiping out the later harvest and playing havoc with the soybean crop, which many farmers grow in rotation with rice.
Jefferson Davis, Acadia and Vermilion parishes are the heart of the southwest Louisiana rice belt. Eskew says the harvest in Jefferson Davis Parish alone averages about 30 (m) million dollars each year, but was worth only 18 (m) million dollars last year.
KATC.com, October 14th, 2003